Creating a friendlier world online

As we work to change the paradigm on health, education, the environment and social inequities, we are creating a friendlier future – one where technology breaks down barriers, keeps us safe and empowers us all to achieve our full potential.

Keeping Canadians safe online

As part of our long-term commitment to help youth realize their potential, we invest in educational initiatives to promote friendly and responsible online behaviour. An important part of this work is our commitment to help #EndBullying and inspire digital literacy through our TELUS Wise® program.

TELUS Wise is empowering youth and adults alike, to stay safe online

TELUS Wise, now in its sixth year and endorsed by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police in 2014 and again in 2018, is a free digital literacy educational program. We offer workshops and provide online tools to help users protect their online security, privacy and reputation, rise above cyberbullying, and use technology responsibly. Through this program we are empowering youth and adults alike with tools and knowledge to stay safe online.

Since inception, over 190,000 youth, adults and seniors have participated in our free TELUS Wise workshops, and the program has achieved more than seven million touchpoints with Canadians. In 2018, we were proud to host our first international workshop in Manila, Philippines.

Workshops include:

TELUS Wise footprint: helps elementary school children learn how to be good digital citizens and keep their digital footprint clean

TELUS Wise impact: engages middle school and junior high students in a conversation around cyberbullying, helping them explore and understand different options for safe and appropriate ways of intervening when they witness cruel behaviour online

TELUS Wise in control: engages middle school, junior high and high school students in a discussion about cyberbullying, identity theft, protecting and positively growing their online reputation and more

TELUS Wise: intended for adults, this workshop covers topics such as living and parenting in a digital society, and Internet, smartphone and social media safety

TELUS Wise seniors: engages Canadian seniors in a discussion about getting the most out of participating in our growing digital society, safely.

Our workshops are delivered by hundreds of committed TELUS Wise Ambassadors, consisting of TELUS employees, retirees and members from the community at large. This includes police school resource officers from 28 police services across Canada. Workshops are well received, with 81 per cent of participants indicating they would recommend the workshops to others

In 2019, we look forward to launching online versions of our youth workshops, enabling educators and students, especially those in rural communities, to more easily access program information. Additionally, we will launch a new workshop targeted at high school students, engaging teens in a conversation about building and maintaining a healthy relationship with technology and offering tips on ensuring resiliency and well-being in our connected world.

By the end of 2020, we hope to reach over 250,000 Canadians, as well as youth located in other countries, with our interactive and informative workshops.

Working together to #EndBullying

TELUS has spent two decades delivering a friendly future and that promise is ingrained in everything we say and do. We also know that the online connectivity we provide can be the very tool that youth use to harm others. TELUS has long opposed bullying, as evidenced by the launch of TELUS Wise in 2013, and our involvement in other anti-bullying community programs. In 2018, we launched a national, integrated #EndBullying campaign.

The campaign, targeted at all Canadians but with a greater focus on parents, youth and teachers, kicked off in May and is intended to raise awareness about the prevalence of cyberbullying. The campaign represents our very public stance against bullying. To help drive meaningful change, the campaign invited Canadians to take the TELUS Wise Digital Pledge and commit to being kind online. By the end of 2018, close to 1.7 million Canadians joined us on our mission to help create a safer, friendlier world online by engaging in the campaign and taking the Pledge. We committed to donate $1 for each pledge received, up to one million pledges. This led to a $1 million donation to support #EndBullying programs for youth in Canada in 2018.